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1.3 billion people around the world use WhatsApp. But the most popular messaging service not only sends messages, photos or videos, but also transmits sensitive user data without being asked.
Stiftung Warentest has now published a list of settings that users must take into account if they want to protect their data.
Here you will find step-by-step instructions on how to better protect your data. To access the settings, either tap on the three dots in the top-right corner of the app, or on “Settings” at the bottom-right of the iPhone. Now select Account and then “Privacy” or “Privacy” directly on your Android phones.
Profile picture and information: Here you can decide who can see your profile picture. You can limit the display of your profile picture so that not all WhatsApp users can see your picture, only your contacts, for example. You can also restrict access to “Profile Information”, which is the short sentence that appears next to your profile picture. If you don’t enter anything here, you can ignore the period.
Last seen online: Think carefully about who you want to tell when you were last online or whether you are currently online, this information can also be restricted.
Disable read receipts: By default, WhatsApp shows a check mark next to your private messages when you send them, and two ticks when the message reaches your chat partner. When it is read, the tick turns blue. If you don’t want your chat partner to know when you read the message, you can disable the read receipt.
condition: Status messages are images, texts or videos that disappear again after 24 hours. The default setting in the app is that status messages are shown only to contacts in your address book. However, you can only share it with specific users if you wish.
